By Staff Reporter |

The Arizona Department of Education’s leader admonished one party for rejecting a new mandate on schools to report deadly on-campus incidents. 

Democratic lawmakers opposed HB 4109 during a Wednesday vote in the Senate Education Committee, even though one of their own, State Rep. Lydia Hernandez (D-LD24) sponsored the bill. Republicans on the committee voted in favor of it.

HB 4109 would require school boards to adopt a structured safety policy with certain, detailed implementation responsibilities imposed on school district superintendents. 

Among those responsibilities of the superintendent included in the bill: written notification to students’ parents and school employees within 24 hours of any incidents or threats involving life-threatening violence or violence involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument; immediate notification to a law enforcement officer of observed or notified incidents involving the aforementioned situations concerning violence, and any confiscations of dangerous instruments or deadly weapons; and confiscation, or designation of confiscation to administrators, of any dangerous instrument or deadly weapon possessed by any person on school property.

School districts would also need to publish annual public safety reports detailing the number of lockdowns, shelter-in-place events, and evacuations; incidents involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instruments; incidents referred to law enforcement officers; and a summary of the school district’s adopted public safety policy and its implementation. 

The bill would prohibit school districts from taking retaliatory action against employees, parents, students, state agents, or any other individuals for reporting a violation of the public safety policy requirements.

Failure to adhere to the legislation would result in school leaders facing a class one misdemeanor charge.

State Superintendent Tom Horne published a press release the day after the committee hearing accusing the Democrats on the Senate Education Committee of “reckless and irresponsible” behavior: flippant of school safety and willfully ignorant of the present safety problems plaguing school campuses.

“The bill requires notice to parents and staff within 24 hours of a life-threatening incident on campus. That is a perfectly reasonable requirement that schools should be doing anyway,” said Horne. “It is ironic that the bill is sponsored by Democrat Representative Lydia Hernandez. She deserves credit for this effort. I am pleased the bill passed out of committee even with the opposition from members of her own party.”

State Rep. Hernandez explained that the murder of Michael Montoya, 16, in Maryvale High School last August was the motivator behind the bill. Montoya was stabbed to death in a classroom by another student. 

“This was a constituent bill brought to me by my neighbors, families that were so traumatized by what happened. But it’s not just limited to this one incident, but a series of incidents that keep taking place,” said Hernandez. “It’s not about politics, it’s about protecting the safety of our kids. You and I would do it, and I hope it never has to be one our children that are the victims.” 

State Sen. Eva Diaz (D-LD22) said it concerned her that the bill would criminalize noncompliant school board members and superintendents. 

State Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R-LD13) countered that it wasn’t unprecedented to hold school officials accountable through criminal penalties in the context of public safety. 

“I understand the logic when you’re talking about public safety, at some point there has to be some oomph behind it because we’re talking about fundamental student safety,” said Mesnard.

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.